Flower of Alabasta
by JeckTheParadox
Summary: Robin had been on the run for only a year, when she made it to Alabasta. After nearly being caught by bounty hunters, she finds herself under the protection of the King, and even accepted as part of his family. There has to be a catch though, isn't there? AU where Robin is adopted by Cobra, and is the same age as Vivi
1. Chapter 1

"Get her! She ran down this way!" One of them screamed, waving a saber in the air. "Come on, you rats, eighty-million Beri!"

"Shut up! You want to attract every bounty-hunter wannabe in the city?! I'm not splitting the prize money any more than we already are!"

Both of them were knocked down as their boss slammed his knuckles in an 'x' across both of their heads. "Stop yelling and keep running! Before we even think about splitting the bounty, we need to catch the demon first!"

"Sorry cap-" he began, before stopping, clutching at his throat and panicking. "c-c-ap'n..." he managed to get out, before his eyes rolled back in his head, collapsing. The other two stared at each other in horror, their men slowing down slightly at the sight, before another panicked gag came from the small crowd of bounty hunters.

"The devil's fruit!" One of them screamed, before falling with the sounds of bones popping.

"Come on! We need to find her and knock her out quick- before-"

" _Clutch!_ "

And the captain was alone, surrounded by the bodies of fellow bounty-hunters. He glanced one way and then another, before spying the little girl's head peeking out of an alley, he pulled a knife and ran forward towards her as fast as he could... And promptly fell forward, as two small arms sprouted from the ground in front of him, tripping him. Before he could pick himself up, he felt dozens of small arms growing from his neck, gripping his head. "You won't get me that easily," he growled, bringing his knife up.

" _Gah-!_ " Robin shrieked, a sudden spurt of blood appearing on her left arm. The bounty-hunter got up, grinning evilly.

"Heh, think you're so powerful just because of the fruit? Every user has a weakness. If you live long enough to find it, and I think I've just found yours. Now then, why don't you take a nice, long, nap while I collect your bounty?" Robin threw her hands forward, wincing as more blood came from the left one, trying to restrain him again, but with another flick of the knife, they disappeared in a 'poof' of ethereal flower petals.

He reached forward and grabbed her head, lifting her up to make eye contact. "I'm about to be rich~!" The captain threatened.

" ** _Get im'_** "

"Huh?" The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was the sight of a rather large log coming rather close to the side of his head.

* * *

Robin stared, bewildered, at the group of children beating up the bounty hunter. When they had finished, one of them walked up to her, smiled, and offered her his hand.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking at the gash on her left arm and the more shallow strike on her right.

She stared at his hand in confusion, before she got over the shock, standing up and bobbing her head in a quick bow of thanks. "Yes, thank you for getting rid of that mugger. I'm fine. G-goodbye." She turned to leave, but before she could get anywhere, a hand grabbed her shoulder, turning her back toward the group of children.

"Fine?! That monster cut up your arms!" A girl with blue hair shouted angrily, gesturing at the blood on her arms. "You need medical attention!"

"N-no, really, I'm fine. It's worse than it looks." Robin assured, raising a hand and waving in an attempt that was meant to look playful, forcing a smile on her face and not allowing the wince of pain to show.

"Vivi!" The kids' attention shifted suddenly to a man with massive golden locks. "What did I say about attacking adults!"

The blue-haired girl's face tightened into a determined expression. "He was attacking that little girl!" She gestured to Robin, whose eyes widened at suddenly having far too much attention on her. She looked at the man, wearing the colors of the royal army, decorated lightly in gold. A government official, definitely, in one shape or another. She quickly pulled the turban further down on her head, hoping to cover as much of her face as possible.

"Even so, you should have called the guards!" He chided. His face became more sympathetic as he turned to Robin. "Now then, dear, I'm so sorry about what happened, I'll make sure the marines take that criminal to justice. Let's get those wounds treated."

"N-no thank you. The _marines_ it's... It's not that bad, I'm fine!" Robin assured, backing out of the group of kids slowly, before turning and running all-out away from him.

Igaram narrowed his eyes, turning toward one of the royal guard who had ran up. "Alert his majesty that Vivi is fine, I'll explain everything later. However, I want you to bring a few guards and arrest this... miscreant, for mugging children. And get one of the royal doctors if you can, or try and find a nearby doctor. One of the children was wounded."

"Yes sir! What about the rest of them?"

"...Rest of them?"

"The alley next to this is littered with unconscious men, armed men."

"...Littered?"

"Yes sir-"

Igaram frowned. "Deliver my orders, I'll investigate this personally..."

"Yes sir!" The guard ran off, leaving Igaram with the kids. "Vivi, stay here, I'll have a word with you when this is over... and good work. You too, Kohza, fine leaders are always ready to protect their people. Just leave it to the adults, alright?!" He turned toward the alley, jogging to catch back up to the girl, but she had already disappeared into the crowd of Alabasta.

"Hm-mi-mi-mi." He looked down at the road, seeing the small drops of blood. "Not serious, huh?"

He followed the trail across the road and into another alley, seeing a glimpse of her, still running, just out of sight again. He frowned slightly, turning down another path, and worked his way around in order to cross paths with her. No one knew the streets of Alubarna like he did, after all. "Ah, here you are!" She skidded to a halt, her eyes wide and scared, she reached up and pulled the turban further down, to shield her face as much as possible, before turning and running as fast as she could away. "Alright, girl, stop right now. You need those cuts taken care of, and by now, this running is beginning to get suspicious!"

"Leave me alone!" She shouted behind her as she ran on.

Two guards had caught up to him, followed by a doctor. "She's just run into the alley way here, you two stay here, I'll cut her off." Igaram announced, before launching himself onto the roof of the building

He ran forward, before flipping himself off the edge of it and landing in the alley below, just in front of a panicking girl. "Now then, it would be irresponsible to send you off without dressing that wound, especially as a friend of the Princess." He frowned, as it seemed his words just made her even more terrified. She clutched at the turban, nearly pulling it apart in order to hide her face.

"Sir!" The two soldiers and the doctor closed in, covering the exit.

"Now then, just show the doctor your arm, and then we can bring you home."

She shook her head, glancing back and forth between the two of them, still hiding her face with the cloth.

"Sir!" Another soldier shouted, rushing as fast as he could. "Get away from her!"

Igaram narrowed his eyes, "What is it?"

"Sir, that's the Demon-Child of Ohara, worth eighty-million Beri!"

Igaram and the two soldiers backed up, as the girl seemed to freeze in place. She stared at the soldier who delivered the news and let the cloth fall. He gulped, and then, as she crossed her arms, he began to choke, a dozen little, bleeding arms wrapping around his throat. Igaram's eyes darted from the girl to his soldier, and gave a little hiss of irritation.

He gave a quick blow to the back of her head, and she slumped forward, unconscious, the soldier doing the same.

"C-captain Igaram, sir?" One of the other soldiers asked.

"...Tell his majesty we have an interesting prisoner. And get both of them medical attention. As soon as you've cleaned and dressed her wounds, I want you to put Seastone cuffs on her."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

This was not how the King had planned his day to start out.


	2. Chapter 2

Cobra prided himself on being a just king. It was an ideal that he based his life on. He would never ask a soldier to die for a cause he himself wouldn't risk his own life to complete. He made it a point to hold open court as often as possible, and to accept pleas from those of all classes come to meet with him. Although Alabasta often went through economic hardship, relying on the unpredictable ebb and flow of overseas trade on the Grand Line, he tried his best to make sure as many as possible of his citizens had comfortable, or at the very least safe and fulfilling lives.

But there were times where being a just king, in serving "Justice", didn't leave him a clear path.

Such as the current example he was dealing with: a wanted criminal, someone claimed to have sunken two Marine warships, a person searching for ancient weapons capable of destroying the world, and, supposedly, carrying within their mind the ability and a cause to use those weapons.

Whom at the same time is a small, injured, half-starved frightened girl the same age as his daughter.

When Cobra found himself unable to make a decision, he restructured how he would think about it. The first thing to consider was whether whatever choice he made would harm or hurt Alabasta. Unfortunately for the girl, there was a lot of potential harm in this situation. The greatest and most monumental was that she was the heiress of the demons of Ohara. The daughter of one of the researchers who wanted to destroy the world. She was a person who could revive the ancient weapons, one of which is buried in the foundation of Alabasta. This concern however, is mostly alleviated by the simple fact she was an eight year old girl. Vivi, a girl who was most definitely intelligent for her age, a girl who was born and raised surrounded by ancient hieroglyphs, still did not know what each symbol meant, despite a desire to learn and the resources to find out. There were simply some things a child couldn't possibly do, and to learn a language so complex, so ancient, so without any frame of reference beside itself, is not something a child could do.

Which led to the next biggest issue to Alabasta; she was wanted by the World Government. If the WG found that the girl had been hidden from them, there would be consequences. Alabasta wasn't kept on as tight of a leash as the other nations that belonged to the World Government, but the line of Nefertari gave up the title of the Celestial Dragons long ago. The World Government had to recognize Cobra as having the "divine blood" of the founders by the same right they recognized the rest of the Celestial Dragons, but that did not by any means that Alabasta could resist the World Government and get away with it. He could have gotten away with pardoning most criminals short of one of the Four Emperors, but not someone who survived the Buster Call, who _might_ , despite the impossibility of it, have the knowledge of the Ancient Weapons. To keep her would be a threat of the Ancient Weapons, to keep her against the direct will of the WG was a threat of the Ancient Weapons being used against them. He would have Cipher Pol agents cutting out his throat in a week, disguising it as a revolution. He would be killed, Vivi would be killed, his closest advisers and soldiers would be killed, and Alabasta would be thrown into a chaos that the World Government would let fester and rot the nation until they reclaimed it and put a new governor on the throne. He had been told as such by his grandfather, who had been told by a member of the Cipher Pol when he was investigating a false claim of supporting revolutionaries.

The solution to that problem would be more complicated.

If he somehow didn't have the threat of the World Government or of the Ancient Weapons hanging above his head, the next biggest issue was that Robin was simply dangerous. A Devil-Fruit user, who has proven, already, to be able to render more than fifty people at once unconscious, with the potential to kill them, and doesn't hesitate to knock out soldier, doctor, or bandit the same way. She was on the run, survived the absolute annihilation of her family and home, and has been hunted from one island to the next. It is a distinct, almost reasonable possibility that the girl may be mad, and with a power like that might be able to wreak havoc on his nation.

Constant supervision and a supply of sea stone for emergencies could solve that, he supposed.

It was plausible, he supposed, that they could come out openly to the World Government that Nico Robin was in their custody, that they could prove she didn't know anything about the Poneglyph, and that they could, through gaining her trust and allowing her to get comfortable in and loyal to Alabasta they could stop her from using her powers against the people.

But it was unlikely. So unlikely it was essentially impossible. If he told the World Government that she was in custody, they'd likely force him to give her over without a word, find out whether she knew of the Ancient Weapons or not through torture or some other means, and then quickly dispose of her.

But to do anything else might spell disaster for his country.

It would go against everything he stood for to sacrifice an entire nation for the sake of one person. Even a child.

* * *

Robin woke up feeling terrible. Her muscles simply refused to move. She continued to breathe deeply, continuously, and her eyes stayed closed. She panicked, although the emotion didn't do much more than contort her face. The last time she felt anything similar to this weakness was when one of the kids from Peter's street pushed her into the fountain.

She almost drowned, before a passing policeman pulled her out and yelled at her for being 'irresponsible'.

She had never thanked him, just ran home and cried...

He was dead now. The kid too. The Marines killed them.

She didn't want to die.

She forced her legs to pull up under her, desperately trying to get out of the water. It was strange, she didn't feel wet or even cold. Just heavy. She knew she was underwater, there was a kind of energy the sea had, that the fountain had, that she could feel in her veins, weighting her like a hammer. And she was breathing fine. Was there a helmet around her head? A bubble?

She forced her eyes open with another burst of willpower, and looked into the empty, dry room in confusion. Looking down at the bed she was lying against she saw her legs tangled in the blankets, and on her hands-

She was in handcuffs. An entirely new wave a panic passed over her. She would be shot, like Professor Clover was. They put him in chains, and then they killed him. But she couldn't move. Even keeping her eyes open took a deal of effort. She tried to reach out, to put an ear outside the room, or at least an eye, but it wouldn't work, and the feeling of being submerged only increased.

She jolted suddenly as the door to the room opened. Following with her eyes three guards entered the room, followed by a man she had never seen before in purple robes.

"...Nico Robin?" The man asked, taking a seat on a chair across from her.

It wasn't worth the effort to respond.

"...Are your arms feeling better?"

Ah yes. She had cut her arms, rather, the bounty hunter cut her. She shifted her hands, weighed down by the heavy metal and the feeling of submersion and weakness, into view. They had been carefully bandaged over the parts where she had been injured. She looked back at the man, refusing to, and not having the energy to, respond.

He sighed a little, but his face remained firm. "Earlier today you were attacked by a group of bandits, sustained injuries, and refused assistance from one of my closest advisers. When trying to get away from him you assaulted and knocked out one of the soldiers sent there to arrest the men who cut you." He blinked. "And so, my Adviser knocked you out, and you are now in our custody." He looked at her for a few more seconds. "Well?"

She looked away.

"Do you regret hurting the soldier?"

She nodded, anything to get out of this place before the Marines found her.

"Nico Robin, why did you come to Alabasta?"

She was silent. What could she say? Anything at all would spell her death. She could deny wanting the poneglyph, but that wouldn't matter. Her crime was existing. The Marines would kill her either way. What was the point of talking?

"...Would you like some water?" The man asked.

She almost laughed. Like she needed more water. She already felt like she was drowning. But her face didn't have the energy to even smirk.

The two stared at each other for several minutes. The man then sighed, leaning into his chair. "I'm trying to help you, you know." He said, quietly. "I have a daughter, your age. One of the children who saved your life from that bounty hunter." He looked at her, his eyes focused. "I want to help you, because even if... handing you over is the right thing to do. Under all accounts, it will never sit right with me that I sent a child to her d-" he stopped, frowning deeply at nothing in particular.

"Death." She said quietly. It was a strain just to say that one word. She didn't believe him, obviously. People had spoken like this before, after finding out who she was. _I would never harm a child! The government has it all wrong this time, I'm sure. How cruel, don't worry dearie, you'll be safe with us, why don't you have a nice rest._

It was followed by armed men in white uniforms, and screams of _Come back you ungrateful brat! You owe me that 80 million! Worthless! Demon! You marines will still give me my bounty, right?! It's not my fault she escaped, untrusting little imp._

"Nico Robin, let me help you. Why did you come to Alabasta?"

She considered it, quickly. In the past... if she allowed the farce to play out, she would at least get some food and shelter. For a day, at least. The betrayal would come soon enough, but in the mean time, as long as she was playing the part of the innocent little girl, she at least had some food. Having come to her decision, she started to cry.

"I-It's not fair! Th-they killed everybody, and I had to run away... and the fire.. I just..." She blubbered, the stone made her voice weak, made her unable to put energy into it, but it helped just as much. What she lacked in passion, the stone helped make up for in patheticness. "I... I just hitchhiked from place to place. I came as a stowaway. I didn't know where."

He let out an audible sigh of relief. He was frightened. Of course he was, she was the Demon of Ohara, and he was in a country hiding a poneglyph. He knew, he knew what it was. Maybe even where it might be. Another bonus to the food, if she could play this out right. He wasn't with the marines, but he was still high-ranked. The elite Alabastan soldier from the previous day was one of his 'Advisers'. So he was connected to Alabasta, but perhaps not the World Government.

"...You're safe here, for now. Tell me, Robin. Do you know what a Poneglyph is?"

She froze.

It shouldn't go like this, he should be trying to steer away the conversation from the Poneglyph. Was he trying to get her to admit it- and, realizing that she had shown her shock, she might as well have. She nodded.

"Where from?"

"I've... I've been captured before. They asked me questions, over and over. But I don't know!" The man's face was once again sad, and the fear had left even more. She could press him a little bit. "Please don't hurt me. I don't know about weapons, or pongliffs, or old countries!"

"No one's going to hurt you Robin." He said, gently, trying to be comforting. "...why did you attack my men?"

"They said they would bring me to the marines." She whispered. "I couldn't..." she went back into sobbing, watching the man sigh once more.

"... I'll try to get you out of this safely, if I can. In the meantime... I'll find someone to get you something to eat." He made to leave, and she considered asking him to take off the cuffs, which was where the drowning feeling radiated the most, but she decided that would be pushing it... or would it be something a desperate eight year-old would beg for normally? She didn't know, and so she didn't say anything, just sniffling.

He left, closing the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, Robin forced herself to sit up. It was exhausting, whatever these cuffs were made of, she hated it, it made her feel helpless. She tried, once more, to put an ear, or an eye, anywhere outside, but she couldn't reach out with her powers in the slightest. This... wasn't the best situation. Without her powers, she wasn't sure how she would get out of this. She would have to wait until an opportunity presented itself.

* * *

"Pell..."

"Yes, M'lord?"

"Have you ever had to make a hard decision, one with no right answer?"

"Of course sir." his guard said, smirking. "I was a soldier, still am, really. Decisions like that are everyday work." He raised an eyebrow. "Surely, you've had to face the same over and over during your rule."

"Of course... but... hm, no I think I'm saying it wrong, Pell. What you're thinking of, as a soldier, was tough calls, weighing risks and gains. As a King, my decisions have been chosen based on cost and benefit for the Kingdom. But this decision... has Igaram told you about what happened yesterday?"

"I haven't had the chance to speak to him lately."

"Yesterday, we captured the Demon of Ohara."

Pell's face froze, a look of shock crossing over him. "Pl-"

The King's eyes narrowed, making a sharp negative to his subordinate. Who knew who was watching, it was better to not mention Pluton at all. "She's an eight year old girl." He said quietly. "And she was crying, begging us to keep the navy from hurting her. That she has heard of the Ancient Weapons and Poneglyphs, but only from Marines trying to get information about them out of her." Pell was quiet. "She's an innocent. The last survivor of an island of demons. A child, a little girl. And she doesn't know, and can't know, how to destroy the world. She's scared, and hurt, and with good reason. If the World Government gets her, she'll be tortured, and then killed. Even if she doesn't know anything, even if they know she doesn't know anything. Because they need to save face. They already put a bounty on her, they declared her as a demon, if they say she was innocent now, they'd have to admit they were wrong, and were staking 80 million beri on that wrong guess."

Pell remained quiet.

"It's not just!" The King shouted. "It's not fair, that a girl as young as Vivi is in this situation."

"...No, it isn't."

"But there's nothing I can do." The King lamented. "The marines are already inside the castle, we reported we had captured her immediately." He frowned. "They've already put the bounty into the royal treasury. They're going to take her away in the morning."

"I'm sorry, Cobra."

"Pell..." Cobra began, sinking into his throne. "Can you think of anything? Anything to save this girl? I can't risk my rule, Alabasta can't survive a shift in power right now, and similarly, I cannot risk Alabasta. Even if this is horrific, she's not worth a country. Especially not Our County. There's no way for me to stand against the government."

"...We could arrange for her to escape?" Pell whispered. "But, are you sure that's wise, my King? What if she is the Demon of Ohara? What if she really did sink two warships, what if she is here, looking for Ancient Weapons to destroy the world with?"

"She's a girl Vivi's age Pell!"

"And maybe that's blinding you. Look at Vivi. She's bursting with ambition, strength, love of her country, intelligence." Pell sighed. "There's no reason Nico Robin can't be the same, but turned to an evil purpose." The king hesitated, thinking.

"If she possesses that knowledge the World Government accuses of her having, if it was Vivi... if Alabasta had been destroyed, and she knew of a way to get revenge on the world..." he shook his head. "No, Vivi wouldn't do that. She... couldn't."

"But who knows if Robin can." Pell said. "Your highness, it is well known, that children are skilled at using Crocodile Tears."

"Her crying didn't have to be fake. Even if she is evil, she's still afraid, she's been captured." The King closed his eyes. "...I don't know. And I can't take the chance. There's... nothing I can do."

Pell nodded, sad for his King's heart.

* * *

Robin had fallen asleep. She cursed herself, she would have been even more furious, but the stone cuffs sapped that too. She had lost valuable escaping time. And, regrettably, she saw that there was food, sitting on the table, food she wouldn't be able to try.

The men in white coats had arrived.

The Marine Captain stared down at her, his lip curved upward in a snarl. "You've eluded us for nearly a year Demon, impressive, for a child." He commented, grabbing her roughly by the chains, lifting her up to eye level with him. "But that's over now. The last remnant of that cursed country will now finally be buried, and the threat to the world is over!" He shouted happily, getting a few cheers out of the large number of marines he brought with him.

He dropped her unceremoniously, and then had several men attach another chain to her, this time attached to a collar. Thankfully, not more of the stuff in the handcuffs. They began their march forward through the tunnels beneath the palace, the Alabastan guards watching with distaste as the marines pulled her, stumbling, still weak beyond anything she ever felt from the sea stone.

"...Is this what the military has come to?" Cobra asked no one in particular. The Captain stopped, giving a salute to the king.

"We're just taking her now, your Majesty, don't worry. Your country won't be threatened by her again." the Captain said proudly.

"Threatened?" The king asked, angrily. "She's an eight year old child, being dragged away in chains, too weak to stand." He growled, the captain seemed actually shocked that the king was defending her. "What will become of her?"

"She'll be taken to Enies Lobby, and from there to Impel Down, where she'll be interrogated and held, until her eventual execution in Marineford, or elsewhere."

Cobra shivered.

Robin raised her head as much as she could, 'your majesty'. He was the King, or a prince. And he was still defending her. This might be her last chance for a while. "Please don't let them take me away!" She cried. "I don't know about any of this! I just want to live!"

The King growled, his fist tightening against itself to the point his knuckles turned white. "...Stop!"

"Your Majesty, she's a demon, you really can't be falling for this innocent act?!" The Captain growled.

" _Alabasta has laws_." The King said definitively. "A child cannot and will not be held accountable for the crimes of her parents, children of an enemy nation are not enemies themselves, and children are no tried and punished the same as adults."

"She's a danger to the whole world-"

"The Ancient Weapons are just that, ancient! Possibly mythical! To research them is the devil's work, that is undeniable. But to punish a child for being related to these researchers, who's research, we know, as Ohara was destroyed easily, did not come to fruition!"

"She sunk two battleships!" The Captain growled.

"No, I didn't-" she stopped, the chain on her neck being yanked by the Captain, his fury turned towards her. "I-I didn't. My, my friend Saul, he stopped the battleship, he died... so, so I could get off the island..." the tears this time were genuine, remembering Saul after all this time.

"Why should we believe you? You're just trying to save your own hide." The Captain sneered. He turned back to the King. "Your Majesty, as a member Kingdom of the world government, the Marines have nothing but respect for you and your authority. But criminals, wanted by the World Government, are wanted everywhere in the World Government. Those laws don't apply to her!"

"Who says they don't!?" Cobra challenged. "Until I'm sure, you will leave Nico Robin here, in the custody of the Alabastan Elite guard."

"And have her escape, and put your soldiers at risk?!" The Captain frowned. "Fine. You want to make a scene out of this, King Nefertari, go ahead. But the Marines will not leave her unguarded... we'll remain in Alabasta for one more night."

"One week. I'll cover your expenses myself." He ground out.

"Three days."

"Done." He pointed a finger back. "Bring her back to her room, Pell, Igaram, Chaka, follow me. Gather my advisers, we have a puzzle on our hands."

"Sir, are you sure this is wise?" Chaka asked. "For the sake of the Demon Child-"

"Chaka, do you really believe that girl has the intention, or even the ability, to use the weapons?"

"It's still a valid threat to the world-"

"Then the Government should have erased Water Seven, Alabasta, and Fishman Island for the same reasons. If they wanted to remove the Ancient Weapons from the picture, they should have done that long ago. It would have been a bloody war, but the World Government would win. They fear the weapons being used, but they prefer their existence."

"Wh- Your Majesty?!" Pell asked, surprised. "Where did this come from?"

"The World Government wants the Ancient Weapons for themselves, to the point they're allowing them to exist. The reason they want to capture Robin is to find out how they work, so they can use it for themselves."

"Your Majesty, this talk is treason!" Igaram cautioned, whispering.

"It is merely talk. We would never use the weapons. Not under any circumstance. And the World Government, long, long ago, promised the same, and they meant it. Now the World Government seems to be turning their back on that promise, but they still speak publicly that they would never use the weapons. We are merely protecting the World Government's reputation by keeping them from torturing that girl." He grinned savagely. "We are doing the world a favor."

"Your Majesty, what are we doing?"

"We are going to find a loop hole." He said simply. "Alabasta's laws state that Nico Robin, as a child, cannot be held accountable for the actions of her parents, and to an extent she is not responsible for her own actions, as a civilian, she cannot be held accountable for the acts of Ohara. By Alabastan law she cannot be tried and sentenced the same way as an adult, the way they're going to try." His face became less confident now. "Although, as a member nation of the World Government, we are subject to their laws, and the laws of the World Government take precedence in almost all cases. So, we're going to see if there's anything we can do. Anything at all, legally. We are not risking Alabasta's safety, security, or stability on this. We're not going to rebel, we're not going o make threats. So, all we can do is what we're allowed to by our own laws, and the laws of the world government. We have three days, and a lot of reading to do. For the sake of a child's life, and for the protection of the World Government's honor."

* * *

Robin let out a deep sigh of relief, eating the food that had been provided, sitting on her bed. She had gotten three days out of that, it was more than she was hoping for, but it still might not be enough. She slid from the bed. Although the weakness from the cuffs was all-consuming, emanating constantly, making her feel submerged and dying, she was... well, getting used to it. She could at the very least move and talk, and thankfully, eat. The room was a simple one, it had a single window, for light, but too high for her to see through and too small for her to fit through. Under the window was her bed, attached to the ground, and next to it was a table, similar to the bed attached completely to the ground. Opposite her was a steel door, with a hole for viewing just big enough for one person to look in, only able to be opened from the outside.

She looked down at the cuffs, frowning. They were her top priority. If she had her powers, she would be unstoppable. With her powers, she could get out of any locked room.

But without them she was helpless. So, how to get them off?

One of the cuffs had a small hole where a key would be inserted. She knew how to pick locks, but there was nothing to do it with. Her food didn't come with any kind of silverware, or anything with bones or ridges she could use. There might be springs or something she could use in the mattress itself though.

After several minutes of trying, she came to the conclusion the mattress was nailed to the frame of the bed, and was just as immovable as the rest of it. For now, she was trapped.


	3. Chapter 3

She had to stop after only a few seconds, and then, waiting to see if anyone moved to look inside, to identify the noise, she tried going at it from a different angle. Grinding the chains of the cuffs against the bed's steel leg was not working, and made a horrible, loud noise.

Even worse, she was beginning to think that the leg was taking more damage than the cuff. It was hopeless, at least for now. She would have to wait and see, and take the first opportunity that presents itself. Getting to her tip-toes on the bed and jumping, she gripped the edge of the window, looking outside at the grounds in front of the palace. It wasn't actually that busy, surprisingly. Occasionally a man in robes, or several servants, would pass by, moving from one task to another. Unfortunately, no one came close. No one she could trick, no one to steal something, like a lockpick, from.

She was trapped. It was one of the worst feelings in the world, next to being underwater and wearing these cuffs. The days passed quickly. Whenever she had to go to the bathroom or get food, Marines, unsympathetic, devoted-to-the-cause type soldiers, would keep a careful watch over her. When she wasn't getting the bare necessities, she was back in the cell.

The panic and fear got worse and worse as the hours ticked by. She prayed desperately to whoever was listening for a paper clip, or a book, or a pencil, or something, some way to either alleviate the boredom and stress, or some way to escape the constant torture from the sea stone.

On the third day, King Cobra entered her cell, smiling, although his expression was still somewhat too grim for her to get hopeful. "...Nico Robin, I believe I may have found a way to get you out of this, without endangering the World Government, Alabasta, or you."

"I'm listening." She said earnestly, glad for the communication despite all that she had gone through.

"I want to adopt you."

"...W...wait, what-" Her brain took a few seconds to try and comprehend that.

"It took a long time, but I've found a loophole, of sorts." he sat down on the ground across from Robin, and his servants immediately began asking him to stand once more. "Members of the royal families, recognized by the World Government, are given special priveliges. Immunity from some crimes, and lessened consequences, and the ability to defend themselves legally. If it's like this... then the Government has to go through the official channels, if they want to kill you. It'll have to be public, recorded, and recognized. If you're truly innocent, than as one of my daughters you'll be able to prove it. It's not perfect, and it is still quite risky for you, but it's something."

"...Why?" She asked, dumbfounded. "Y-You'd adopt me? Go against the World Government for me?" She stared at him, uncomprehending. "Why?!"

"The Government made a mistake, in killing all the civillians of Ohara. In demonizing you. In giving you that bounty and sending you on the run. And their motives are impure. They're not trying to get you for the sake of justice, it's for the sake of their reputation... which I am also preserving, by not allowing you to be taken by them. If you don't know about the weapons, then they tortured girl to death for nothing. If you do... it would be far, far worse for the world, and make it so no one could ever trust the Government again. The Government has spent the last 800 years warning the world of the danger the weapons posed, of how nobody should use them. Not even the Government itself. It made that promise to its subjects. If the World Government finds Pluton, or Uranus, or Neptune, then it will lose the trust of its subjects forever, and send the ocean into chaos."

She nodded, slowly. Willing to accept that. But the king then went on to confuse her even more. "But... that's only the official reason. That's my justification. Family, when it concerns royalty, can be a business-like and impersonal subject. Marriages and adoptions are matters of politics and business, rather than something personal, far too often. If I make it a political adoption, it can be justified and then forgotten... but truly, I can't stand to see a girl who reminds me so much of my daughter go through something as horrifying as this. I can't stand the thought of the Government persecuting an innocent child to this level... and because my daughter is lonely." The king sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Her mother died when she was very young, and I haven't been able to bring myself to remarry. Vivi has her friends in the Sand-Sand Band, but she could do with a sister... I've been considering adoption for years, but I always was hesitant. It seems that now is the right time." He looked her in the eyes. "So, what do you say, will you be Nefertari Robin?"

What choice did she have? She still didn't truly believe him. It might be that the King was just trying to gain her trust, so that she would uncover Pluton for him. But in the meantime...

she had to take every opportunity that presented itself. "...Alright."

* * *

"Your majesty, this is not wise. Not at all. Anything would be better!" Pell urged.

Chaka frowned, tilting his head to the side slightly. "...We should kill her." He said slowly. The King stopped half-step and nearly tripped as he was walking, Pell managing to catch himself before he suffered the same fate.

"What?!" The King asked. "We spent the last three days trying to find that loophole, and you want us to give her over to them still? Even after she's done nothing wrong?"

"If the World Government wants her dead, my liege, she will die. It's only a matter of time. The only reason she made it this far was by keeping constantly on the move and betraying anyone who helps her. If we kill her now, while she's under our custody, and as our right in capturing a wanted criminal, it removes their distrust of Alabasta, their potential access to the weapons, and stops her from having to suffer who knows how many months or years of torture."

The King wanted to snap back at him, but he closed his mouth, the thought was abhorrent, but it was better than letting the World Government take her.

"...If we have reason to believe we can't stop them..." Cobra said, after a few seconds of consideration. "But not before. We'll see if this works. I'd much rather save a child's life today than merely being the more merciful executioner."

"But Sir, what will the people say? The popularity of the Nefertari Family has lowered and lowered for generations, as Alabasta's droughts become worse and worse. Adopting someone known as the Devil Child, who wants to destroy the world..." Chaka muttered. "We could be dealing with riots."

"We'll be keeping it quiet." He said. "It will be known that I've adopted another child, but not much more than that... but after the trial, there's only two ways this will go. Either we win, and the Marines will keep it as quiet as possible, retract her bounty poster, and not address it any further, lest they risk their reputation. Or, they win, and they take Robin legally. At which point, we will have to publicly acknowledge our loss, and use that as a place where we can subtly warn the world of the consequences of the Weapons existing, and that, anyone, even the World Government, if they use them, is the enemy of humanity." He sighed. "But we are in a complicated situation now, aren't we."

* * *

Robin was led to a small room, where they unlocked her cuffs. She gave an audible sigh of relief and rubbed at her wrists, before looking down at the piece of paper in front of her. It was an adoption contract, signed by the King multiple times, as well as a few other people. As she had no legal guardian, it was fairly simple. She technically, as a minor, didn't even have a choice in the matter, it was more a matter of courtesy behalf of the King, to let her sign herself into adoption.

She wrote her name neatly, for that was the only way she could write.

And at that moment she was a princess.

This... this would be a tough one to get out of. She handed the paper off to a person who came to collect it, and immediately, without giving any sign of it, began sprouting ears throughout the castle. Eyes would be more difficult, as it became impossible to get a clear view if she was looking at two things at once, and she didn't want to explain why she was covering her eyes to the soldier still present. Cobra smiled at her and extended his arm, for her to take, and began leading her through the palace. "Robin, this is your home now."

There were countless halls in the massive building, she had not really had the chance from within the jail cell, but she could feel the pull of history around her once more as she stared at the architecture of the ancient buildings. At the edges of the walls, she could see where paint had been stripped and reapplied over the centuries, where there was once gold leaf, long since harvested in one crisis or another. The ancient columns and pillars, decorated with carvings, damage, and paint.

She could stand to live here, just studying every inch of the building, for a very long time. The king took her silence, and staring in any direction than him in a different way though, and slowly began to sink into silence as he simply led her down one hall to another. Stopping at a somewhat out-of-the way hallway, he opened a door and Robin followed him in. To her disapointment, this room, more often than many of the other halls in the castle, had been remade and torn down thousands of times. A nersery, turned child's bedroom, turned to a teen's quarters, to an unused storeroom, to a nursery again, over and over, for all of history. She could appreciate the cyclical nature of it, but it still meant there would be hardly anything in the room older than a century.

"This is where you'll be staying. I've had a bed prepared for you, and the servants will be bringing lunch up in a few minutes." Cobra said, hopefully. "I know you've had a rough few days, so if you'd prefer to rest for a while..." it wasn't really a question, but he waited for her response.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd prefer to be left alone for a while."

Cobra nodded, a gentle smile on his face. "Anything you wish... though I do hope you'll join me at dinner... I'd like for you to meet Vivi. Finding the solution to our problem took quite a long time, and honestly, it was only a few hours ago that adopting you was shown to be our answer... so I haven't had the chance to talk to Vivi about this."

"Then you should talk it over with her." Robin said simply. "And make sure to tell her that I will be by no means coming in between you two. Explain that it is a political adoption first and foremost, and that she'll always be her mother's daughter, and your first child."

The king blinked in surprise. It was more than Robin had said aloud in the last few days, and didn't sound at all like the crying child from earlier. "I... I will."

She nodded, climbing up onto the bed and sinking down, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

 _She needs some time to adjust._ Cobra decided, and he slowly walked out of the room. "Ah, before I forget... until this situation with the Marines is completly rectified, they've made it an order that you're not to use your powers without supervision."

"Understood." She said simply, from where she sat on the bed. She would have to take care to be subtle with them then. Her eyes popped into and out of existence throughout the palace, as she bit by bit explored it in its entirety. Old palaces like this one would have hundreds of secret tunnels, for servants to move about unseen, for the Royal Family to escape in case of attack, for soldiers to move from one spot to another in order to secure it like a fortress. Over hundreds of years some paths fall out of use and into disrepair, some are forgotten, new ones are built. Robin decided, then and there, that if she had to, she would be able to escape the Palace without being seen.

She wondered if that was simply the right thing to do. She didn't detect any ill will from Cobra. The situation was utterly alien to her. Cobra had put himself at risk for her, he had been set up to get the biggest gain from turning her over, and then he turned the Marines down. Cobra believed that keeping Robin away from the Marines was worth the trouble of keeping her.

He had a plan to remove the Marine's interest in her. One that... might actually work, she wasn't sure how smart Cobra was quite yet. It could be that Cobra was simply one of those people who are _good_. Like Saul. Like Professor Clover. Or it may be that he wanted to use her to get his hands on the Ancient Weapons. Either way...

Would it be safer to run, go back into hiding, sneaking from island to island, hoping for a whisper of a Poneglyph- her eyes widened, remembering in a rush why she had made her way to Alabasta. The other stones she had read, they spoke of Alabasta as the resting place of Pluton. The Ancient Civilization that wielded the Weapons against the World Government, most definitely a sacred place for them. If there was anywhere in the first half of the Grand Line where the Rio Poneglyph might be kept, it would be Alabasta.

She couldn't leave yet. Not when she still didn't _know_.

And the ruins were beautiful...

And she had already signed the paperwork. Writing had power, Robin knew. Writing was what made her a Doctor, what led the others to accept her as a true Archaeologist on the last day of Ohara. So much of history was kept in contracts. She was a Princess, now.

The eight year old that she was blushed at the thought. Robin was a Princess as much as she had a Doctorate. She knew all about Princesses, factually. She had read a good percentage of the books in the Tree of Knowledge, she had read countless accounts of heiresses and daughters of kings and chiefs and lords. But she also knew about the storybook variety, and all that that was supposed to mean to a small girl her age. Her cousin and her friends would play at being princesses all the time, and sometimes, if they were feeling generous, they let Robin be their pretend butler. To live out that fantasy...

She'd found she was more excited than she thought she would be, but still probably less than what people would expect her to be.

Sighting Cobra with one of her eyes, she followed him along his path, taking him into a library (Robin memorized the route there, and then calculated how to get to the library from every other part of the Palace), where he stopped to sit next to a small girl with bright blue hair, reading a textbook.

It was the same girl who saved her life, only a few days ago, and the same one, who, indirectly, got Robin captured. Robin didn't do anything as silly as hold grudges, except against those who are _stupid_ enough to try to break things that are _priceless,_ but some part of her considered whether she should try to pretend, with Vivi. Or maybe she should be grateful? Or at least act gratefully? Cobra had explicitly said that he was adopting her, in part, so she could be Vivi's sister. Robin had to at least play the part.

What kind of Princess runs around the alleyways of the Capital with other children, commoner's children, attacking armed bounty hunters, anyway?

She considered putting down an ear, to listen in on their conversation, but she decided it would be better to have not heard it, or else she might slip up and quote one of them. She decided instead, to focus on continuing to build her mental map of the Palace. The more time she spent, the more she realized how far it stretched down, into caved-in ruins. No Poneglyph though. There were thousands of ruins and relics of Ancient Alabasta spread throughout the area though, and the Poneglyph could be in any of them.

She opened her eyes when a servant came in with a platter of food, and she gave a quiet thank you, before digging in. The servant watched her for a few seconds, and she idly began to wonder if he was going to try to kill her. "Enjoy your meal... Princess." He said after a time, and left with a short bow.

She chewed her food silently for a time, not really sure how she should react. Flattered, that he acknowledged her as a princess? Mad, that he debated with himself for so long before he said the word princess?

She decided it really wasn't important, what other people thought of her most of the time. She didn't have to manipulate that servant. So she decided to ignore the word's significance.

* * *

"Vivi, I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Yes, Dad?" She asked, leaning back in her seat and gratefully putting down the textbook.

"...Have you ever wanted a sister?"

Vivi frowned, thinking. "...Well, sometimes. When I was younger, but ever since I met Kohza and all the others, I'm not lonely in the castle. I have other kids to play with."

"How would you feel if I did adopt another girl? Would you... welcome her?"

"Of course." She said proudly. "But wouldn't you want to adopt a boy? To be King?"

Cobra sighed happily, slipping his fingers into the hair on the top of her head. "You are my Heiress, Vivi. You shall be the next Queen of Alabasta. No one else. I'm adopting this girl for other reasons... you know her actually. You saved her life from a mugger a few days ago."

Vivi's eyes widened. "Wait- you _already_ adopted her?!"

Cobra sweatdropped. He hadn't meant to say it so plainly all of a sudden. "Uh, yes. It was, literally for her, a matter of life and death."

The girl sighed in a way that was far too adult for her age, a sigh of a leader learning of a lieutenant who has just made a mistake. Cobra nearly broke out in giggles. She spent far too much time around Chaka and Pell. "So you're telling me after?"

"Well, I wanted to see how you'd respond." He began.

She sighed again. "So... you already adopted her? I have... I have a sister, now?"

"Yes. If you want her to be."

She raised an eyebrow in question.

"...I'm not going to force you to like her, or pretend to be sisterly with her. You're my daughter, my first daughter, and I'll love you more than any other one person in all my life, I promise you that Vivi. Legally, Robin is my daughter now too. And I'll support her, but... you don't have to. You didn't have any choice in this. Nothing would make me happier if the two of you considered each other friends and sisters, but you don't _have_ to. She'll be living in the castle, she'll be instructed and cared for, and she'll be a part of the events and rituals of the Nobility... but in other ways than that, she'll be a ward of the Palace, rather than a princess. Whether she becomes truly, a part of this family, is up to you, and her."

Vivi thought about it for a few seconds, and then frowned. "Daddy." She said, resolutely. Cobra motioned for her to continue, and so she did. "Even if _we_ hate each other, _you_ have to love her." She said, putting her foot down. "You adopted her, she's your daughter now. Just like me. You said so. It's not fair to Robin if whether she gets treated as a daughter or not depends on me. What kind of older sister gets to decide how the younger sister is treated?!"

Cobra blinked, before breaking into a wide smile. "You're absolutely right, Vivi. I'm sorry. The circumstances surrounding her adoption are unusual. Even less personal than a political adoption. It's something that we're doing to aid the World Government in a serious reputation issue, and to keep her safe." He shook his head. "It wasn't about her becoming my daughter, it was that in order for the plan to work, she had to be a Royal. I wasn't thinking about this the way I should, I suppose. I didn't consider her my daughter yet."

Vivi decided the apology was appropriate, and climbed out of her chair, spreading her arms for her father to hug her and pick her up at the same time. "...So the girl from a few days ago, with the cuts on her arms? Was she okay? Igaram took a doctor and some soldiers with him, but then a bunch of stuff happened and Igaram wouldn't explain what happened."

"Ah, well, one of the soldiers mentioned taking her to the Marines, and so she panicked and attacked the soldiers. Igaram had to knock her out."

"She's just a little girl though, Igaram could have just picked her up."

"She has a Devil Fruit." He said, smirking. One couldn't have too many Devil Fruit users loyal to you. The Alabastan family had gone to great expense to keep the Falcon Model and Jackal Model fruits within the walls of the Palace, to be handed to the greatest of Alabasta's warriors one after the other. Alabasta could not go without it's guardian deities, after all. The statue of the Falcon and the Jackal watching over the nation was an Alabastan landmark. "He had no choice but to knock her out."

"And why would she be afraid of the Marines?"

"Er... well, that's part of why I had to adopt her. The Marines made a terrible mistake, and put a bounty on her head for seventy-nine million Beri. She was chased from island to island, and when they catch her, they'd be forced to treat her as an adult criminal because of that mistake." Vivi gasped. "So, by adopting her and making her a royal, hopefully we'll be able to just quietly pardon her, and the Marines will save face, and Robin's life will be saved." That wasn't the whole story, but that would do for now. Vivi wasn't ready to be exposed to the full corruption, or perhaps just the reality, of the World Government. She wasn't ready to be exposed to the idea of an island being wiped out of existence for a crime, that, in and of itself, is evil for reasons she is not old enough to understand.

"...Alright. When can I see her again?"

"Well, she's had a rough few days." or months. "So she's resting for now in one of the older nursery rooms. But she said she'll join us for dinner."

"Great!"

"...I take it you're going to be trying your hardest to treat her like a sister?"

"She _is_ my sister now, so, yes, I am Father."

He squeezed her a little harder. "Then I will try my hardest to be a good father to two little girls. But... what I said before, it still stands. You're my first daughter, you're your mother's daughter. You'll have a spot in my heart, forever, that belongs to no one else on Earth. In time, Robin will get a spot in my heart too, but not _your_ spot. Understand Vivi? If you ever feel I'm not paying attention to you, or that you're jealous of Robin. Just tell me. You will be Queen of Alabasta, you are the Heiress. But more than that, you're my first daughter. I was there to see you be born, and I hope to one day see you rule our country, better than I or my ancestors ever have."


	4. Chapter 4

Robin watched the floor as she was led by a manservant and followed by two maids to the dining room where she would meet her adopted sister for the second time, and her adopted father again. She was feeling slightly nervous. No matter what it was the King was planning, there wasn't any chance of the Princess, a girl only her age, would have something to do with it. Somewhere in Robin's head, she put most children under sixteen in a mental category of being decades younger than her, despite being younger than nine herself.

She only hoped that Vivi would be a better 'sister' than Mizuira. Truth be told, it was mainly Robin's aunt that had tormented her at home, her cousin had been more like the other children, bullying her occasionally and then running in fear at the first sign of aggression. Only made worse because she lived with her. She knew it was mainly ignorance, and being mislead by her mother, and not actual hatred for Robin. But all the same, Mizuira was meant to be Robin's sister, and instead she was treated like a freak by her, like a stranger. In a way, it would have been better if Mizuira had hated Robin, instead of merely fearing her. At least hatred was a personal relationship.

Well, Mizuira was dead now. And Robin's aunt. And Robin's uncle.

She really shouldn't have started thinking about this on the way to dinner.

Frowning to herself, Robin considered what she actually knew about Princess Vivi. She ran around in the streets of Alubarna with a gang of other children, attacking muggers, or maybe they didn't usually do that, but had only attacked the bounty hunter because he was specifically after her, a kid. This could say any number of things about the princess, that she was rebellious, or perhaps she was a thrill-seeker, perhaps it just said she was kind-hearted, to be willing to play with commoner's children, it could mean that she was a sadist, leading her own little gang. She knew the child-gangs on Ohara were made up of bullies.

So, in summation. Robin didn't know anything about Princess Vivi. Except that she had perhaps saved Robin's life, and also got her captured, which led to her... becoming a princess.

Robin sighed quietly. And, based on her mental map of the halls, she was passing by the kitchen on the other side of the walls, which meant that the dining room would be directly in front of her.

A dress, not overly complicated or fancy, but obviously expensive and finely made, had been provided for her. She decided to wear it, as opposed to the now-filthy purple dress she had carried with her since Ohara. The servants went ahead of her and opened the doors, and she found herself facing a large table. If she hadn't looked into the room before hand with her powers, she would have been expecting a massive long table with a feast fit for a king arranged on it. As it was, it was simply a sturdy wood table, scratched by decades of use. The King and Vivi both wore clothes similar to hers, finely made but not extravagant. The food looked rich, but it was more what one expected from a decent restaurant, as opposed to food one would serve a king.

She didn't really know what to make of it, what kind of impression they were trying to set on Robin, what kind of mental image she was supposed to be building of Cobra, or if this is simply how it was, and the King didn't want to make a fuss for her. All the same, her stomach was growling, so she gave a bow as she entered, and walked up to the table, sitting on the opposite side of Vivi, rather than opposite Cobra.

"So, you're Robin?" Vivi asked excitedly.

"Yes." She answered. "...Thank you, for saving me with your friends a few days ago."

She smiled brightly. "You're welcome! Oh! You need to meet all of them-"

"Er... Until the trial has been sorted out, Robin is not really allowed to leave the palace." Cobra interjected. Robin didn't shrug, and simply began eating the food in front of her. It was good, that was to be sure. In the past year she had to eat a lot of things that she wished she didn't have to, if she didn't want to be hungry. The palace food was welcome, no matter what happened to her afterwards because she was there.

The princess looked somewhat dejected, but she shook it off quickly, once more smiling. "Then I'll have to bring them up here!"

Robin nodded. And the table fell into an awkward silence. Cobra found himself wanting to clear his throat and change the subject, but there wasn't really a subject to change. Robin seemed more interested in the food than them, but he supposed that was excusable, the last few days must have been exhausting. "I suppose this must have all been quite sudden." He said. "I really must apologize, I would have liked to draw out this process, letting us get to know each other and understand each other a bit more. Given you more time to process it."

"No, I really can't be anything but grateful." Robin said, with a smile he felt was forced. "After all, I..." she paused, before looking to Vivi. "...Um, Vivi?" It felt awkward for her to call the Princess by her first name, more for the fact she was a stranger, than a princess. "How much has your father told you about my situation?"

"The Marines made a mistake and gave you a massive bounty, and so you were on the run, and Father found out that the only way he could help you was by adopting you."

"That's a bit vague, but accurate." She said. "I've been on the run for nearly a year, and now I'm sitting here, with a family, eating a feast in a castle... it's unexpected, but I'm ecstatic. If I don't seem thrilled, it's because I really haven't processed it yet."

Vivi smiled. "Don't worry about it, I'm happy to have a sister! I've wanted to have a sister for as long as I could remember, someone to play games with inside the castle, and tell stories and run with Carue- oh! You have to meet Carue!"

"Is he one of your friends?"

"He's my duck!"

She didn't miss a beat. "Ah, yes I will."

"What about you?"

Robin blinked. "I don't have a duck, myself."

"No, I mean, about having a sister."

"Well... I suppose." She decided that she could afford not being super-enthusiastic, Cobra wouldn't decide suddenly that her usefulness to him ended if she didn't agree with Vivi about everything. Unless he was simply insane. That would explain a few things, but it didn't feel right. "I've never thought about it. No, I've thought about it, but never really for long. I lived with my cousin, which was kind of like having a sister around, so..." she noted Cobra tensing, and stopped.

"Oh? Your cousin? You used to live with them?" Vivi asked, and her eyes shifted downward going into thought.

"Yes, used to, but now...I had to leave them though when I got my bounty." She said, sounding distressed, making the second part of the sentence to sound more fake and hesitant than the rest, for the sake of Cobra. It wouldn't do well for her if she appeared to be an excellent liar. She allowed tears to begin to well into her eyes. "I'm... not going to see them again though..."

Vivi looked shocked, and then began to tear up herself. "Oh, I'm so sorry Robin... are, after we get all this stuff with the Navy cleared up, are you going back to live with them?" She looked worried, afraid of already losing her sister she didn't even get to know yet.

Cobra was near-panicking now. Robin shifted her watery eyes to him and made eye contact, letting her face become emotional and waver a bit. "N-no... I'm not..."

"Why not?"

Cobra let out a sad sigh, and sank deeper into his chair. "All of Robin's... family, have died, Vivi. It's part of the entire incident that got her that mistaken bounty... I don't think it would be right to talk about that right now, though."

Vivi gasped, cupping her hands around her mouth, tears really flowing down her face. "Oh, Robin, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay... it's been almost a year." She gave a heavy look to Cobra. "I... don't want to talk about it."

Nefertari Cobra got up from his seat, and picked up his dishes. "Robin, if you want... I think we should talk in private, if it would help."

"No, I... I want to talk to Vivi some more... could, we finish eating, and then you show me around the palace?" She looked toward Cobra, "Or, will I need to be guarded by those soldiers all the time?"

"No, inside the palace, you'll be free to move around as you wish."

"Come on, this way!"

* * *

Robin's eyes had told her that what Vivi was probably leading her toward was a large playroom near the south corner of the castle. As she passed by centuries of history, she wondered why she never spent any time in palaces before. If anything is preserved intentionally from history, it would be in castles. Not that the palace was lacking in modern amenities. The walls were repainted and maintained, as were the floors and ceilings.

"Where are we going?"

"The playroom." She said. "That's where Carue is sleeping right now."

"Ah." A moment's check confirms the presence of a large bird sitting in a bed in the room. Vivi was taking her down a slightly roundabout path, filling Robin with useful information. Gesturing down one hall or another, explaining that down that way lies more guest rooms perfect for hiding in! or that down that way is the kitchens Rana will always sneak you a little treat if you ask nicely! or where the closest bathrooms are, or balconies.

They came upon the large playroom, and Robin took a moment to appreciate it. The floor was covered with toys of various kinds. There was practically a village of doll houses, toy boats, animals, and various props.

"Amazing." Robin said quietly. "It's all yours?"

"Yeah! Some of it is a little kiddy, but it's all still fun." Robin walked forward into the room, hesitating, and picked up a doll. Mizuira jealously guarded her toys, most of the time, but Robin was occasionally allowed to join her. It was... fun. Even if she always played the maid or the murder victim in their pretend stories. Mizuira had been surprisingly fond of murder-mysteries. She ran her fingers through the hair on the doll before setting it carefully down and looking at Vivi, feeling a little lost. "...Do you... want to play?" Vivi asked.

"Do you?" Robin asked in return. Vivi made a noncommittal shrug, and glanced around the room, waiting for something to catch her interest.

The two girls stood awkwardly for a moment, before Vivi forced a smile back to her face. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot, Carue!" She walked over to the bird, patting him awake. "Wake up sleepy, it's the middle of the day." The duck ruffled his feathers and got up, smiling at Vivi before noticing Robin and walking over to investigate her closer.

"Um." Robin began, reaching out hesitantly to pet Carue. The duck seemed to accept her, so she just kept petting him. "Is he a breed native to Alabasta?"

"Yeah, he's a Super Spotbilled Duck." She said, jumping up onto his back. "They're extremely fast runners! They bring packages back and forth across the kingdom."

"Is it safe to ride him?"

"Well, he's still young. So he's can't carry much more than just me." She slid off her duck's back and gestured for Robin to get on instead. "Why don't you try?"

"Alright." She tried to mimic what Vivi had done, scrambling up onto the duck. He made an annoyed quack as she pushed a little to hard in with her knee, but she managed to get herself on top of him. "So what do I do now?"

"Carue, take Robin for a ride!" Vivi ordered, pointing outside the playroom. "Go around the castle, and then come back here, as fast as you can!"

The duck did a salute with a very articulate wing, and then before Robin really was aware of what happened, they were off. The air in the castle, which was almost still most of the time, suddenly became a powerful wind as the mallard beneath her leaped down the halls. Servants got out of the way quickly, looking shocked in the moment she could see them before they disappeared behind her. "Slow down!" She shouted, grabbing on tightly around the bird's neck in her panic. She had to put in a great deal of effort to keep herself from stopping the bird by force with her powers. She was right in the open, and the use of her devil fruit was forbidden. She wasn't about to mess this up, even if she got a few bruises out of it. Luckily, the bird seemed to be trained well. It didn't run into any walls, though Robin could have sworn there were a few close shaves.

Within twenty seconds , she was in a part of the castle she hadn't reached yet with her eye-sprouting searching. In another thirty, the duck came to a sudden lurching halt in front of the door to the playroom, where Vivi was setting up a table.

"Have fun?" Vivi asked.

"I thought I was going to get splattered against a wall." Robin replied, voice neutral, as she climbed off the duck.

"That's a little morbid." Vivi said, a little surprised.

"Sorry." Robin said, before walking into the room and sinking into a chair that Vivi had pulled up next to the table. "I don't think I'll be taking any more rides with Carue for a while."

The duck seemed offended by that, and walked back into its bed, turning its head away from Robin.

"Sorry! It's just I always have a blast doing that. I thought you might find it fun too."

"Well, thanks for the opportunity. I suppose that did make the tour of the castle a bit faster. Although I'm not sure I retained as much as I would have if we just walked all the way."

Vivi looked a little embarrassed, and then sat down in the chair across Robin. "...I'm sorry."

Robin met her newly adopted sister's eyes. "What for? The ride was a little surprising, but it was still fun. In a sudden rush kind of way-"

"No, no. For... bringing up your family. I didn't know how hard things have been for you." She bit her lip, thinking. "I don't really know why I didn't ask Dad about that earlier. I mean, of course you had a family, everyone has a family... but I didn't think about-"

"Vivi, it's forgiven." Robin said, keeping her voice as level as possible. "You didn't do anything wrong, there was no way you could have known. And King Neferta-...D-Dad... wants to keep this whole thing quiet, so that the Marines won't get embarrassed."

"Thanks." Vivi said. "But how could the marines make a mistake like that, who would think that an eight year old could do something deserving of such a huge bounty?"

"..." Robin looked at the ground, picking up another doll. "I was seven, when it happened. But I'm not sure how much King Nefertari wants you to know."

"Why wouldn't he want me to know everything?" Vivi asked, almost offended.

"You'd get nightmares." Robin said darkly.

"I'm not a baby! I can handle some scary stories."

"Fine, not nightmares. He wants you to keep your innocence." Robin said, she began to run her fingers through the doll's hair. "Vivi, what do you think about the World Government?"

"They're okay I guess?" She held up her hands, "I mean, I totally get why you hate them, they really messed up with you! But Dad's trying to fix that right?"

"The World Government has a long and bloody past Vivi. And a lot of deep and dark secrets, they are willing to kill to protect."

Vivi pales. "Is... did the World Government kill your family?"

"They thought my family knew one of their secrets." Robin said quietly.

"Oh, Robin." Vivi said quietly.

"A big part of my trial will be King Nefertari trying to prove that I don't know the secret."

"...Do you?"

Robin looked Vivi in the eyes. "No."

"Okay." She said, a little spooked.

"Can... we talk about something else? I'm sorry. Every conversation becomes something dark, doesn't it? My aunt said I have a naturally gloomy personality."

"I can see where she was coming from." Vivi said, a little bit of humor returning to her voice, and Robin made an effort to smile in the most disarming way she could. She picked up a doll of her own off the ground. "Oh! I know what we could talk about!"

"Yeah?"

"Dad said you have a Devil Fruit!"

"Ah." Robin said, hiding the wince. "What did he tell you?"

"You took out a soldier all by yourself with it, even though you're still a little girl."

"It's not that big of an accomplishment." Robin grinned. "I remember a little girl taking down a mugger with only a log."

Vivi grinned. "It was my pleasure. But still, what can you do?"

"Well, King-"

"Just call him Dad! No one will mind."

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises." Robin said. "But he said I shouldn't use my powers until after the trial as well. So I can't show you them right now."

"That's fine, just tell me then."

"I can make my arms and legs sprout like flowers."

Vivi's face screwed up as she tried to built a mental image. "You have... plant powers? Do you become all flowery, like, Chaka becomes kinda Jackal-like, with fur and the snout and claws, and a tail, but he's still mostly human, and then after that he just turns right into a dog! And Pell gets feathers and a beak, even before he turns into a falcon!"

"No, no. That sounds like Zoan types. I'm a paramecia. I mean, I can make copies of my arms or legs sprout from the ground as if they were flowers. I uh... I made arms bloom around the soldier's neck, and then twisted his neck."

Vivi gasped, covering her mouth. "You didn't kill him, did you?!"

"No, no, he'll be fine. I just knocked him out. Over the last year, I've been getting lots of practice with it."

"What do you mean practice?"

"Well, bounty hunters, marines, soldiers, they all tried catching me." Robin explained. "So I used my powers to take them down."

"Isn't there a... more peaceful way to escape?"

"Well, they helped with that too. But sometimes I didn't have a choice. It's the fastest and safest way for me to make them stop." She said. "Why should I be peaceful when they're not going to be?"

"I don't know, Pell says that people should use their strength to protect, rather than to fight. If your powers can help you escape peacefully, wouldn't it be better than just knocking them down over and over?"

"When I put them down, they're usually too afraid to get back up." Robin said. "It means that every time I beat someone, there's less people going after me."

"But won't that just make you more infamous, and have the marines hunt you even harder?"

Robin frowned. "You didn't have a problem knocking out the man who was after me down in the streets with your gang."

Vivi blushed. "That was different! It was a grown man attacking a little girl-"

"And so was everyone I beat." Robin said, a little harsher than she meant to show.

"I... I guess."

Robin smirked a little, then sighed. This wasn't a productive direction. It wouldn't build up her relationship with the princess, or her father, if she antagonized the girl. Even worse if Robin corrupted her worldview. "...This is the kind of thing that- Dad- wanted me to be quiet about."

"What do you mean?"

"You probably wouldn't get nightmares, but you'd get some bad ideas. Dad is trying to protect you from that."

"He wants to protect me from bad ideas?" Vivi asked, raising an eyebrow, confused. "How does that make any sense?"

"You believe that there's always a better solution than violence. I regret attacking the soldier here in Alabasta, but I don't regret attacking bounty hunters or Marines. I think, and have had it proven to me, that violence is the best solution to my problems, a lot of the time. But that idea's not nice. Thinking about the world in that way would make you sad, and confused."

"But if it's the truth-"

"It's like fairy tales." Robin explained. "Parents want their kids to know that they're safe, and that the world is a good place for them. And it usually is. But not completely, so they want to hide the worst parts. Discovering those bad things is part of growing up. Dad just wants to protect your innocence."

"By hiding problems from me?!" Vivi asked, mad.

"For as long as you don't need to know about them." Robin said, she was a little surprised at how personally Vivi was taking this.

"That should be something I decide!"

Robin looked down at the toys, and sat down. She needed to defuse this situation. She was almost disappointed in herself. She was definitely going to be a negative influence on this girl. Her gloomy sense of humor, and her experiences, would get rubbed off on Vivi eventually. "It's nicer when you don't have to worry about things like that." She picked up a stuffed animal. It wasn't ancient, not in the way Robin cared about, but it was old. Older than the King. "Besides, you'll learn on your own, when Dad thinks you're ready. Right now it's his burden. Why would he want to dump that on you? Wait until you're responsible before you begin to worry about it."

Vivi gave this some thought, sitting down with Robin and picking up a different stuffed animal. "Okay. But you can tell me. Even if Dad says it isn't okay. I'll listen, okay Robin? Because this isn't about the weight of the country, this something that you're holding. And it's okay for siblings to share burdens! Even if it's wrong for Dad to share his burdens with me, it's not for you! We're the same age, if you can deal with it, so can I!"

Robin blinked in surprise, she wasn't sure how to react to something like that. "S-Sure."

Vivi watched Robin's face, before smiling, nodding, satisfied, and going back to organizing the toys in front of her. "Okay then."


End file.
